


Love and Happiness and Wasabi

by ojisandavid



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Do you like good music? (yeah yeah), Gen, Hiro Hamada Needs a Hug, So does Wasabi, That sweet soul music (yeah yeah)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:02:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24416320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ojisandavid/pseuds/ojisandavid
Summary: “When it really matters, when you’re doing it for someone you love, you are freaking amazing.” She ruffled his dreads. “You’ll make a great dad someday.”Late at night in the nerd lab, a discouraged Hiro seeks out Wasabi, who’s dealt with plenty of loss in his past too. Then, with some nudging from Go Go, Wasabi realizes he’s got a future. He’s also got drool on him.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	Love and Happiness and Wasabi

**Author's Note:**

> I love Hiro because, well, Hiro. I love Go Go because she knows how to knock some sense into the people she cares about. And I love Wasabi because he’s an adorkable cinnamon roll who deserves love and happiness. (Musical foreshadowing!) 
> 
> Let’s put the three of them together along with some classic soul lyrics and see how it comes out.

Wasabi loved his work station in the nerd lab, probably a little too much. He never knew when to leave and go home. It was his space, for his ideas, with his friends around him, and it was arranged just so. He had his music playing softly, a classic soul channel:

_I know a place  
Ain't nobody cryin'  
Ain't nobody worried…_

When he was a little boy, bewildered amid the chaos of a commune in the woods north of San Fransokyo, he would build pillow forts in his family’s yurt and hide inside. When his sweet, addled parents lost him in a haze of pot smoke and a maze of legal trouble, he would sit under the table in the social worker’s office, arranging and rearranging the contents of his little backpack.

Then came his adoptive family, who did their best. He tried to forget the tumult of his early years. He tried to forget the loss of his birth parents. And he tried to forget the bullying in school when the other kids realized the big intimidating kid had OCD. He tried to forget most things that happened to him before he found his very first friends, here at SFIT.

Even so, you never quite got over a hurt like that. He nudged a tool back into its place.

His thoughts were interrupted by slow, trudging footsteps. He looked around.

“Hey Hiro! What’s up, little man?” 

“I can’t get the joints in Baymax’s skeleton to work right,” Hiro moaned. “I thought I understood the schematics, but aargh! I just keep screwing up.” 

“Maybe it’s not as bad as you think,” Wasabi said. “How do you know you’re wrong?”

“He walks like he needs to go to the bathroom. Like, really bad.”

“Ah.” Wasabi fought to keep a straight face, but sputtering noises escaped from his pursed lips.

“Hey!” Hiro poked the big man’s chest, which was Wasabi’s cue to burst out laughing. He wrapped an arm around the boy to take the sting out of it, but he needn’t have worried. In seconds the two were leaning against each other, shaking, Wasabi’s baritone laughter blending with Hiro’s light tenor.

“Ridicule! Mockery! You’re mean,” Hiro said when he could breathe again.

“Am not!” Wasabi launched a tickle attack on Hiro’s ribs.

“A-a-are so!” Hiro wheezed, dodging and giggling.

The tickle fight subsided and Hiro leaned into him, face clouding again.

“You’ll figure it out, Hiro,” Wasabi said. “Remember, it took Tadashi eighty-four tries before Baymax worked. You’ve got his notes and your own big brain. You’ve got this.”

“Thanks.” Wasabi could see the tears starting to form. “I just want Baymax back. He’s my friend, and he’s all I’ve got left of … of ...”

Wasabi remembered the crushed look on Hiro's face when the boy emerged from the portal without Baymax, and felt his own tears welling up. 

“Come here, buddy,” he said quietly. He took Hiro by the hand and led him to the lab’s ancient recliner. Wasabi took the seat while Hiro perched on the armrest. The man’s big arm wrapped around the boy’s middle. “I miss Baymax too, and Tadashi. So much. I can only imagine how much you miss them. But you’ve got us too, you know. All of us. We’re family.”

“I know. I love you guys and Aunt Cass, and I feel super lucky,” said Hiro, voice shaky. “Still, I guess you never get over a hurt like that.”

“That’s true,” Wasabi said, “but the hurt kind of becomes part of you. You make your peace with it, build around it.”

Hiro searched his friend’s face. “You’ve been there, haven’t you?”

_And how can you mend a broken heart?  
How can you stop the rain from falling down?  
How can you stop the sun from shining?…_

“Yeah,” Wasabi said quietly. Hiro reached for the big hand on his hip and gave it a squeeze. 

They talked quietly for awhile, about life and family, about school and their friends. And then Hiro was nodding, nearly falling off the arm of the recliner. Wasabi quickly tightened his grip on the boy’s waist.

“Careful there, little man.”

“Wha?”

He gently steered Hiro into his lap. Not even ninety pounds, Wasabi thought. Gotta make sure he’s eating. Aloud he said, “Rest up for awhile, okay?”

Hiro tried to push himself back up. “Have to go try again with Baymax…”

“You’ll do a better job after you sleep, buddy.” 

“You sound like Tadashi,” Hiro said with a tired smile.

Hiro rarely spoke his brother’s name aloud, not even around his friends. He must have been feeling very safe just now, a realization that hit Wasabi right in the heart. 

“Best compliment I ever got,” he replied, a hitch in his voice. He wrapped his arms tighter around the boy. “Get some sleep.”

“Thanks, ‘Sabi,” Hiro murmured, eyes fluttering shut. He snuggled closer, head resting against the big man’s chest.

_When the day comes and you're down  
In a river of trouble and about to drown  
Just hold on, I'm comin'..._

This kid, Wasabi thought fondly. He leaned back, ready for a nap himself.

“Ow, the cute,” came a wry voice. “It burns.” 

He opened one eye. “Sshhh, little man just conked out.” 

“Rough night?” Go Go whispered. She plopped down on the armrest just vacated by Hiro.

“Yeah, the Baymax rebuild isn’t going well and he’s really down. Which brought up a lot of stuff about his brother, of course. But hey, he didn’t go off and isolate this time. He came out here and found me. He’s doing better.”

Go Go ran her fingers through Hiro’s unruly hair. “Our fearless leader,” she murmured. “He’s grown up so much lately, have you noticed? More self-control, more confidence, totally chill in a crisis. It’s easy to forget he’s still a kid. And a kid with a broken heart.”

“I just hope we’re giving him enough support,” said Wasabi. “It’s like having a baby brother. Or a son.”

“Good practice for adulting,” Go Go replied. She paused. “Ever think about starting a family?”

“Sure, I’ve always wanted to give back,” he said, eyes bright. “You know, adopt a kid out of the system, give them a chance and a good home. Just like I got.” His broad shoulders sagged. “But who am I kidding? I’m OCD. I fall apart without rules and plans. I’m neurotic as hell. I wouldn’t wish myself on any kid.”

“Yeah, you’re _so_ neurotic.” He could practically hear her eyes roll. “You know he’s drooling on you, right?”

Drool? It should have pushed Wasabi into a spin, _ohmygodgross_ , grabbing wet wipes and hand sanitizer. It didn't. He noted the trail from Hiro’s parted lips, the small damp spot on his own sweater. His eyes widened and he looked up at Go Go, who was doing her best not to laugh.

“I … I’m not freaking out!” he said, a huge smile lighting up his face. He looked back down at Hiro. “Wow...”

"You didn't freak out at Krei Tech either," Go Go replied. "Chaos all around you, plans changing on the fly, and you just kept going. You did a hell of a job."

"Thanks, Go Go. You did too, you know."

They listened to Hiro’s slow, even breathing.

_Love is, wait a minute, love is  
Yeah, walkin' together, yeah, talkin' together  
Say it again, say it together, yeah…_

Go Go broke the companionable silence. “When it really matters, when you’re doing it for someone you love, you are freaking amazing.” She ruffled his dreads. “You’ll make a great dad.”

“Yeah?” Wasabi blinked. He looked down at the sleeping boy in his arms. He felt a future opening up before him, one with a home and a family of his own, one where he loved and was loved, quirks and all.

_Say love_  
_Make you want to dance_  
_Love and happiness…_

“Yeah," he whispered. "I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second BH6 fanfic and my first attempt at songfic. Let me know what you think.
> 
> First set of lyrics: “I’ll Take You There” by the Staple Singers, recorded in 1972 on the mighty Stax label out of Memphis.
> 
> Second set: “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” by Al Green, recorded in 1972 at Royal Studios in Memphis on the Hi label.
> 
> Third set: “Hold On, I’m Comin’” by Sam & Dave, recorded in 1966 at Stax.
> 
> Last two sets: “Love and Happiness” by Al Green, recorded in 1973 at Royal.
> 
> Music this good will have found its way into San Fransokyo’s alternate universe, I have no doubt.


End file.
